Optical lenses of eyewear such as eyeglasses and sunglasses may include one or more optical coatings which impart a desired appearance or optical characteristic to the lenses. An optical coating includes one or multiple layers of material which are deposited on one or both sides of an optical lens and affects the manner in which the lens reflects and transmits light. Antireflective coatings and high-reflective coatings are examples of optical coatings which may be applied to an optical lens.
A common method of applying an optical coating to an optical lens includes dipping the lens in a solution which adheres to one or both surfaces of the lens upon removal of the lens from the solution and then curing the solution to form the coating. Another method of applying an optical coating to an optical lens involves applying the coating to one or both surfaces of the lens using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process.
In some applications, it may be necessary or desirable to sequentially apply multiple layered coatings to one or both surfaces of an optical lens. For example, application of optical coatings to one or both surfaces of optical lenses for eyewear may include application of metallic, dielectric, dichroic, hydrophobic, oleophobic or super hydrophobic coatings to the lenses in a sequential manner. One challenge, which is inherent in the serial application of coatings to optical lenses, is the transfer of each lens among multiple deposition chambers in a manner which is both efficient and does not risk physical contact or contamination of the freshly-applied coatings on the lens.
Therefore, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) system which facilitates sequential application of coatings to an optical lens or other substrate by gravity-actuated transfer of the substrates between successive PVD chambers is needed.